by Eden Redd
When Thorrin was finished, Sora threw her arms around her master and held him close. The troll leaned into her, a calm feeling washing over his senses. Thorrin smiled and walked to the edge of the boat as it floated down the dark river. Flames touched the sky as smoke rose up like monster serpents. The town of Moon Haven grew smaller the further they followed the rivers current. After a few long moments, the town had become a small ball of light with flames waving in the dark night.
Ten
The sun bathed the river in sparking morning light. Thorrin stood at the bow, the digital sun casting a soothing calm on his spirit. Eyes closed, he took it in as shafts of light glowed against his face and neck. With night fading to the west, the player felt he could finally relax, even if it was just for a moment.
Last night’s events rose up to caress his weary mind. Images played out of their harrowing escape. No one could relax for fear of the dead rising up and boarding the boat. The captain and his small crew kept watch, clubs and daggers at their belt but the lurking fear kept everyone on edge. Thorrin wished he was immune to it but he found himself energized after the battles. Pacing, he made sure everyone was safe through the hours of the night. When dawn touched the horizon, spirits relaxed and the beauty of the river began to shine through.
Vibrant green trees ran along the right and left of the wide river banks. The “Tongue” as the crew called it, was a heavily used trade route from the seas to the inner lands of Lukken. Thorrin had spent a little time with the captain and he assured him the farther they were from Moon Haven, the safer they would be. The paladin wasn’t so sure until morning. Looking to the river, his heart beat soundly in his chest as its beauty cascaded over his frayed nerves.
A shadow moved to his side and Thorrin looked to the dark haired elf. Vass gave him a knowing, happy smile. The player turned and threw his arms around her, holding her close. Vass returned the embrace with her own, leaning her head on his shoulder. The two players held one another for a long moment before Thorrin pulled away with a smile.
“I missed you,” Thorrin said matter of fact.
Vass grinned, “I missed you, little brother.”
The paladin nodded, “With the crazy night last night, I never had a chance to just talk to you. Thank you for joining in the fight.”
Vass’s grin turned into a smirk, “Family comes first. Besides, you know I will always be there to keep an eye on you. Someone has too.”
Thorrin felt an annoyed twinge but quickly pushed it away. It still rubbed him the wrong way how his sister always had to feel like she had to protect him. He was strong enough to protect himself in and out of the game. Letting out a small exhale, he knew deep down she was just being his older sister. He wondered if he would ever let her comments go without an urge to argue.
Vass eyed her brother and touched his cheek, “Thank you for coming back to save us. I doubt we would have made it out without you.”
Thorrin’s brow rose as did a small smirk. She was trying to be understanding and the player felt it. Feeling silly, Thorrin turned to the river and looked out at the small green mountains to his right.
“The captain says we will be in Merlor by evening,” Thorrin turned and glanced to the back of the boat where some of the party was mulling about, “Where is Nugan and Sora?”
“They went below to one of the guest rooms. I assume to rest but you never know,” Vass said slyly.
“And the others, how are they doing?”
“Renner is fishing over the side. Deidra is checking her inventory and the goblin is sulking at the edge.”
“Her name is Ro,” Thorrin corrected.
Vass smiled, “She’s cute but she hasn’t spoken much.” Vass watched as Thorrin glanced down the length of the boat to the goblin, “Maybe you should talk to her?”
Thorrin looked away and back to the golden sparkles of light on the river, “Maybe later.”
A wicked gleam touched the elf’s eye, “She likes you. I can tell by her constant glances.”
Thorrin sighed, “Vass don’t do this.”
“Do what?” Vass said with mock innocence.
“You don’t have to play match maker with me every time we hang out. You hated it when mom did that to you.”
“I just want to see you happy. I thought things were going to heat up with you and the necromancer, what was her name…..Winner?”
Thorrin tried to stifle his smile, “Her name is Wynter and there is no way for it to work out between us. She is in a class that directly goes against my class. We decided to be friends.”
Vass shook her head, “Too bad. I liked her. She seemed pretty tough and beautiful. Her style was fantastic.”
“Sounds like you want to date her,” Thorrin grinned.
Vass let out a small laugh, “I dated one woman and the whole family thinks I’m a lesbian. I knew I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Thorrin’s smile melted for a moment before looking to his sister again, “What about Renner? It seems pretty serious.”
Vass’s smile faded as her eyes looked to the deck, “We are business partners right now. He agreed to help put my guild together. Currently, we are looking for talent to fill our ranks.”
Thorrin remained quiet, waiting for his sister to continue.
Vass’s lips wrinkled as she felt the weight of her brother’s silence, “We….we seem to be dating…I think. It’s hard to describe. He is seeing a woman in the real world but he likes the time we spend together here in the game.”
Thorrin remembered how his sister went after unattainable men. She had an addiction to men who liked her around but would never fully commit. It set Thorrin’s heart on fire every time she was dumped. He wanted to find them and smash them in the mouth but he knew deep down his sister was also at fault. She had dated good, single men but somehow, she would end up cheating on them or a reason that they were simply not good enough for her. On and on it went since she was a young teen. The player only wanted her to find her happiness.
“Did you tell Renner he was family?” Thorrin asked.
Vass’s eyes shot up, “Did he say something?”
Thorrin nodded, “It was at the battle on the Cursed Coast. He took an axe strike for me from Mad Morgan. As he was dying, he told me, we were family. I never thanked him for saving you….and taking a bullet for me.”
Pink touched Vass’s high cheek bones, “It was the heat of the moment. The battle had all of us on edge.”
Thorrin gave his sister a kind smile, “You know now that you said it, he is important not only to you but to me as well.”
Vass maintained her gaze but said nothing.
Thorrin continued, “I will treat him as family, but he dumps you he’s getting a hammer to the head.”
The elf smiled. Thorrin turned from the bow and began walking down the length of the boat to the stern. The captain gave him a nod as he held the wheel. The paladin returned it as he continued on to the rear of the boat. Large round paddles turned with magical power. The player knew that a sail ship couldn’t work in these waters so special boats were designed to ferry people and supplies. Crystals supplied power to the round, cylinder paddles. They reminded Thorrin of those big river boats in the south he had seen in movies. As he approached the back, Deidra looked up with her mask down and cheery smile on her lips. The player was stunned for a moment to see her face in the daylight. He was captivated by her beauty and watching her fight last night proved she was not only a skilled fighter but a merciful one. She used her batons to take on any opponent with grace and power. For a rogue, she had a certain flair he found attractive, but quickly let it go. He continued on, looking from left to right. Ro was sitting at the left edge of the bench at the stern of the boat while Renner was fishing to the right. Thorrin looked to the right and stepped over to the rogue, who leaned back with his boots up on the edge, fishing line in the water.
“Any bites?” Thorrin asked as he stepped over.
“Not yet. Maybe the river is truly de
ad,” Renner said with a fake southern accent. “I wonder if we’ll hear any banjo music.”
Thorrin smiled, “I hope not.”
Renner gave him a goofy smile, “Me too. Hate to spoil this beautiful morning with pig squeals.”
“I wanted to thank you for…,” Thorrin was cut off.
“Don’t mention it and don’t worry about your sister. I’m not that much of a jerk.”
The paladin raised a questioning eyebrow.
Renner looked to the paladin with a wide grin, “I heard what you two were talking about. I have a lot of points in my Listen skill. I am seeing someone but I don’t believe it’s too serious. As for your sister, I’ve sort of given up my roguish ways with women in the game. I can’t believe I’m saying this but….We’ve been pretty exclusive, if you know what I mean.”
A golden fairy appeared in front of Renner and folded her arms, giving him a stern stare.
The rogue nodded his head, “Well…exclusive between the three of us..hehehe.”
Thorrin nodded, turned his head and stepped away. He didn’t want to hear anymore. Walking to Deidra, the paladin sat down next to her on the bench. The rogue swiped her hand across the floating 2D screen and it whisked from view. Turning her body to him, she gave him a kind smile with bright eyes. The player had to resist the urge to glance down at her near perfect body. The wraps covering her adhered like a skin tight suit and left very little to the imagination but gazing at her beautiful face seemed to equally set him on edge. There was a glow he couldn’t put his finger on and it was a touch maddening. Thorrin questioned his motives as he thought maybe he suffered from the same affliction as his sister for unattainable beauty. Even in the game, Deidra’s beauty came off as a ten but the dark edge of mystery she carried seemed to push it to eleven…maybe even twelve. Not wanting to appear like a creep, the player quickly thought of something to say.
“Thank you for helping last night. I wasn’t sure you would actually do it.”
Deidra nodded, “Our motives were aligned. The distraction was perfect for freeing the slaves from their contracts and allowing me to slip inside the Queen’s hiding spot. I managed to steal many weapons from Bone Queen. They will net me a large profit when we reach Merlor.”
“It will hopefully slow down her operation until I can come back and shut it down for good.”
Deidra’s eyes drank in the handsome paladin, “You seem like a man of your word. I do not doubt you will go back and cleanse that dark town.”
Thorrin nodded, “Is that why you were there, to steal from the Bone Queen?”
Deidra gave a slight nod, “She was prime for looting. There were dozens of magical weapons and items for the taking. I knew even if I took a fraction of it, it would be a worthy investment of time and resources. I’m just glad a handsome paladin came along to help keep them busy.”
Thorrin’s cheeks glowed pink at Deidra’s flirty gaze, “Well…umm…thank you ..for everything.”
“What are you doing once the quest is over?”
Thorrin eyed her before letting a small smile slip, “I’m going to continue on a personal quest.”
Deidra leaned in just a touch, “Could you use some company, for a little while at least?”
Thorrin gave the rogue a knowing gaze, “We could discuss it this evening?”
“I would like that,” the rogue said with a genuine smile before turning her gaze to the goblin with her back to them. “I think you should include Ro. She seems a little lost.”
Thorrin turned his eyes to the goblin. Ro leaned into the corner of the stern, her arms on the edge and chin resting on them. Without a word, the paladin gave the rogue a nod and stood up. Stepping to Ro’s side, the goblin looked up and her eyes widened a moment before looking away. Thorrin felt the infatuation she had for him but didn’t stop from engaging the goblin.
“Mind if I sit?”
“I don’t mind,” Ro said in a small voice.
Thorrin sat down but the goblin kept her back to him. The player glanced at her and noticed she wasn’t wearing her armor. Her white travelling clothes fit snugly against her small, tight body. Emerald skin glowed against the morning light and her purple hair was immaculate. Large green ears twitched but otherwise her body was as still as a summer pond.
“Jon should have resurrected by now. I know there’s only a three hour limit before a player can return in and around Moon Haven. He is probably on his way to Merlor right now.”
Ro continued to stare off to the rushing river waters.
“Are you both, close?”
Ro’s head snapped up and she turned to the Paladin with wide eyes, “We’re not together,” She stammered.
“I didn’t mean anyth…..”
The goblin cut him off, “We only met a few days ago. He needed someone to accompany him south of the road. I wasn’t doing anything at the time and thought I could do some good….”
Ro let out an exhale before her eyes turned to the deck, “He’s gay.”
Thorrin nodded and gave Ro a smile.
The goblin continued as her green cheeks turned pink, “I’m sorry. When I’m nervous I blurt things out. I shouldn’t have told you he was gay. It wasn’t my place.”
“I….wanted to come over and check on you,” Thorrin managed through the awkward moment. “Why are you nervous?”
Ro kept her gaze to the deck, staring so hard she could burn holes in it, “I’m…a little shy.”
“You didn’t seem shy when we were fighting those shadow knights,” Thorrin smiled.
Ro looked away, “It’s different when fighting…evil.”
“Well you were amazing,” Thorrin could see the goblin pull inward as if trying to hide under her own skin. He tried to change the subject to help her feel a little more comfortable, “That armor of yours is pretty awesome. I hope I’m not being impolite but where did you get it?”
Ro looked up and a small smile bloomed, “I found it on my travels in the North East of Lukken. My party went to root out the undead in a dungeon. We didn’t know it at the time but the dungeon had a special drop every few months. We were lucky and found the Gauntlets of Thunn. We made the loot roll and I won the item. I have had it ever since.”
Thorrin remembered the Lantern of Thunn from Lord Thorne’s castle to the far west, “Thunn was a dragon who created weapons of light. I had one of his lanterns a few months back.”
“What happened to it?”
Thorrin smiled, “Smashed at the battle of the Cursed Coast.”
Ro nodded, “The stories about you never mentioned the lantern.”
Thorrin raised a playful eyebrow, “Stories?”
Ro’s shyness came roaring back as she looked to the deck once again, “I…I mean….from what I have read. Player’s stories are turning up in books. I have all three of yours.”
Thorrin’s eyes widened as he looked at the shy goblin, “There are books about me?”
Ro nodded, “It was part of the 3.0 update. Players journeys are being recorded and for sale in book shops. They are not entirely accurate and they are not meant to be, but your stories helped me change my class.”
Thorrin’s mind drank in Ro’s words. He didn’t check the update notes and now felt like a fool. There are players buying other player’s stories. He had no idea he would have enough adventures to fill three books. The realization sent strange chills up and down his spine.
Ro continued with a light in her eyes, “I was a goblin raider when I first started playing. I thought I wanted to be one of the evil races until my first raid. It wasn’t as glamorous as I thought it would be. I left the tribe shortly after and began visiting some of the neutral towns. Your book was displayed in a little shop and I picked it up. The books aren’t very long so I read all thirty pages. How you helped the town of Apple Shire and fought a Dread Lord who was way stronger then you. I couldn’t help but feel I wanted to do the same.”
Thorrin sat and listened to the goblin’s tale as confidence filled her large
almond eyes.
“I changed my class and started from the bottom once again. It wasn’t that hard since I only had one raid and made no lasting friendships. Helping people and killing evil felt more of my true calling. I’ve been a paladin ever since.”
The goblin shifted in her seat and stuck out her three fingered hand, “Ro Mudflower.”
Thorrin took her hand and gave it a shake, “Pleased to formally meet you.”
Ro retracted her hand with a shy smile and pinkish green cheeks. Thorrin eyed her with a kind smile. He couldn’t believe he was in front of another player who happened to be a fan. He didn’t play the game to be famous but the stardom was not lost on him. He just wanted to do good in a game that was rapidly turning into a way of life. Strangely it felt nice but the player quickly let it wash away in the tides of his mind. It was easy to get caught up in such things and he didn’t want to turn into a self absorbed jerk. He had seen enough people go down that route, becoming broken versions of their true self. Better to keep to the straight and narrow path he followed, even if books are being written about him.
“I think sometime soon we should talk about a future quest we can do together. A paladin of your power, we could take on several dread lords.”
Stars filled Ro’s eyes as she stared at the handsome blonde paladin. Vass stepped over with a grin but Ro seemed not to notice her. The elf looked to the paladin.
“What are we doing when we get to Merlor?”
Thorrin looked up at the elf, “Make sure Nugan and Sora are on a ship for the Turtle islands. After that?” the player shrugged.
Vass nodded, “Then clear your schedule. I think we should catch up before my home coming.”
Thorrin gave a genuine smile to his sister, “Will do.”
Water crashed from the side of the boat. The players turned to see Renner struggling with his fishing pole. The rogue gave playful grunts as he pulled up on the pole while planting his feet hard against the side. Arms and legs worked as he reeled and pulled. Thorrin was to his feet. The paladin and elf moved to Renner’s side just as he gave one last strong upwards pull. A fish with blazing blue scales burst from the waters, line still in its mouth. Renner pulled with one hand and stretched out another to catch the flying fish. A strong hand gripped it mid-air. The rogue held it out for everyone to see, a stupid smile painting his face.
